TACV
Encyclopedia
TACV Cabo Verde Airlines (TACV is an initialism for "Transportes Aéreos de Cabo Verde" meaning Air Transportation of Cape Verde in Portuguese
) is a scheduled and charter, passenger and cargo airline
based in Praia
, Cape Verde
. It is the national flag carrier
of Cape Verde, operating inter-island services and flights to Europe
, North America
, South America
and the West Africa
n mainland. Its main base is Sal Airport, with smaller ones at Praia International Airport
and São Pedro Airport
.
.
In March 2010, TACV was granted allowance to travel without restrictions to Europe, since it received the IOSA
certification by the international aviation authority IATA
. The certification is valid until December 2012.
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
) is a scheduled and charter, passenger and cargo airline
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
based in Praia
Praia
Praia , is the capital and largest city of Cape Verde, an island nation in the Atlantic Ocean west of Senegal. It lies on the southern coast of Santiago island in the Sotavento Islands group. It is the island's ferry port and is home to one of the nation’s four international airports...
, Cape Verde
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
. It is the national flag carrier
Flag carrier
A flag carrier is a transportation company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given country, enjoys preferential rights or privileges, accorded by the government, for international operations. It may be a state-run, state-owned or private but...
of Cape Verde, operating inter-island services and flights to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
and the West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
n mainland. Its main base is Sal Airport, with smaller ones at Praia International Airport
Praia International Airport
Praia International Airport is an airport located on Santiago Island in Cape Verde. It was opened in late 2005, replacing the old Francisco Mendes International Airport. It is located about 3 km northeast of central Praia in the southeastern part of the island of Santiago.The first flight to...
and São Pedro Airport
São Pedro Airport
São Pedro Airport is Cape Verde's third most-used airport located in the island of São Vicente, located nearly from the centre of Mindelo and serves the entire island and the island of Santo Antão. It is located in the valley area of the island and is north of the village of São Pedro...
.
History
TACV was established in 1958. In July 1975, following the independence of Cape Verde, the airline was designated as the national carrier and became a public company (that means government-owned) in 1983. It employs 788 staff. The Cabo Verde government is currently preparing the airline for privatizationPrivatization
Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations...
.
In March 2010, TACV was granted allowance to travel without restrictions to Europe, since it received the IOSA
IATA Operational Safety Audit
The IATA Operational Safety Audit programme is an internationally recognised and accepted evaluation system designed to assess the operational management and control systems of an airline. IOSA uses internationally recognised quality audit principles and is designed to conduct audits in a...
certification by the international aviation authority IATA
International Air Transport Association
The International Air Transport Association is an international industry trade group of airlines headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where the International Civil Aviation Organization is also headquartered. The executive offices are at the Geneva Airport in SwitzerlandIATA's mission is to...
. The certification is valid until December 2012.
Destinations
The TACV logo includes a blue wing with 7 lines that represent the number domestic inter-island flights offered by the airline.Codeshares
As of November 2007, TACV Cabo Verde Airlines has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:- Cabo Verde ExpressCabo Verde ExpressCabo Verde Express is an airline that operates regional services between the Cape Verde Islands. It was established in 1998 and started operations with a Cessna Caravan . Currently, they fly Let 410 UVP...
- TAP PortugalTAP PortugalTAP Portugal, commonly known as TAP, is the national airline of Portugal. It has its head office in Building 25 on the grounds of Portela Airport in Lisbon, and has been a member of the Star Alliance since 14 March 2005, the same day on which the company celebrated its 60th anniversary...
- TAAG Angola Airlines
Fleet
As of May 2011, the TACV fleet consists of the following aircraft with an average age of 7.4 years:| Aircraft | In Service | Passengers | Resistration | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J | Y | Total | |||
| ATR 42-500 | 0 | 48 | 48 | D4-CBV | |
| ATR 72-500 | 0 | 68 | 68 | D4-CBT D4-CBU |
|
| Boeing 757-200 | 20 0 |
165 210 |
185 210 |
D4-CBG D4-CBP |
|
| Total | 5 | ||||
Incidents and accidents
- On 28 September 1998, a TACV de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin OtterDe Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin OtterThe DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian 19-passenger STOL utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada and currently produced by Viking Air. The aircraft's fixed tricycle undercarriage, STOL abilities and high rate of climb have made it a successful cargo, regional passenger airliner and MEDEVAC...
(registeredAircraft registrationAn aircraft registration is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies a civil aircraft, in similar fashion to a licence plate on an automobile...
D4-CAX) carrying Carlos VeigaCarlos VeigaCarlos Alberto Wahnon de Carvalho Veiga is a Cape Verdean politician. He was Prime Minister of Cape Verde from April 4, 1991 to July 29, 2000, and he unsuccessfully ran for President as the candidate of the Movement for Democracy in 2001 and 2006....
, then Prime Minister of Cape Verde, 18 other passengers and two crew members, crash-landed at Francisco Mendes Airport (serving PraiaPraiaPraia , is the capital and largest city of Cape Verde, an island nation in the Atlantic Ocean west of Senegal. It lies on the southern coast of Santiago island in the Sotavento Islands group. It is the island's ferry port and is home to one of the nation’s four international airports...
at that time) during a landing attempt in stormy weather, in which one bodyguard of the minister was killed. Four other people were injured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. Upon approach following the flight from Preguiça AirportPreguiça AirportPreguiça is an airport in Cape Verde located in the island of São Nicolau, about 3 km south of the island capital Ribeira Brava. Its IATA code is São Nicolau and the letter E, the last two letters of the ICAO code is São Nicolau...
, the aircraft had been hit by a gust of wind in an instant when the pilots intended to execute a left turn, and forced down. - On 7 August 1999 at 12:02 local time, the domestic TACV Flight 5002TACV Flight 5002TACV Flight 5002 was a flight operated by TACV that crashed on 7 August 1999. Due to technical difficulties, the aircraft normally serving the route from São Pedro Airport on the island of São Vicente, Cape Verde to Agostinho Neto Airport on the island of Santo Antão, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6...
from São Pedro AirportSão Pedro AirportSão Pedro Airport is Cape Verde's third most-used airport located in the island of São Vicente, located nearly from the centre of Mindelo and serves the entire island and the island of Santo Antão. It is located in the valley area of the island and is north of the village of São Pedro...
to Agostinho Neto AirportAgostinho Neto AirportThe Agostinho Neto is an airport in Cape Verde located next to the town of Ponta do Sol, Cape Verde on the northern tip of the island of Santo Antão. The airport was named after Agostinho Neto, an Angolan politician....
crashed into a mountain on Santo Antão island at an altitude of 1370 metres, killing the 16 passengers and 2 crew members on board. The domestic flight had been carried out using a Dornier Do 228Dornier Do 228The Dornier 228 is a twin-turboprop STOL utility aircraft, manufactured by Dornier GmbH from 1981 until 1998. In 1983, Hindustan Aeronautics bought a production licence and manufactures the 228 for the Asian market sphere. Approximately 270 Do 228 were built at Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany and...
(registered D4-CBC) on this day. Due to bad weather conditions with rain and fog, the pilot was prevented from landing at the destination airport (which was only VFRVisual flight rulesVisual flight rules are a set of regulations which allow a pilot to operate an aircraft in weather conditions generally clear enough to allow the pilot to see where the aircraft is going. Specifically, the weather must be better than basic VFR weather minimums, as specified in the rules of the...
-certified), so he had decided to return to São Pedro. The aircrash marked the worst aviation accident in the history of both Cape Verde and TACV. - On 24 October 2005, the right main landing gearUndercarriageThe undercarriage or landing gear in aviation, is the structure that supports an aircraft on the ground and allows it to taxi, takeoff and land...
of a TACV ATR 42ATR 42-Civil operators:The largest operators of the ATR-42 are FedEx Express, Airlinair, TRIP Linhas Aéreas,and Mexico City-based Aeromar respectively. Number of aircraft as of 2010:Some 70 other airlines operate smaller numbers of the type....
(registered D4-CBH) collapsed upon landing at Dakar AirportLéopold Sédar Senghor International AirportLéopold Sédar Senghor International Airport is an international airport serving Dakar, the capital of Senegal. The airport is situated near the town of Yoff, north of Dakar...
, SenegalSenegalSenegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
following a scheduled passenger flight from Praia.